Epic of Shadows
by Hideki Kinomoto
Summary: Taking place several years after Ocarina of Time, Hyrule is plunged into a world without a hero. The wisdom of the Sage's surrendered to the might of Ganon's fury. When Link appears what will become of Hyrule...Chapter 2, maybe someday? Don't lose hope!


_**- E**picof** S**hadows **-**_

Several years had passed since Ganondorf was sealed into his forever void. You would think once defeated, once sealed away, that even his followers would admit defeat. However, that wasn't so. Any denizen of Hyrule could tell you, this was indeed far from the truth. Once evil had entered this world, hence evil would always remain. There was a quiet time, a calm of sorts, before the remainder of Ganondorf's might became known. Thousands of them, from every dark crevice of Hyrule, emerged. The ReDead, Dinolfos, Stalfos, Warlock, Phantom, Dodongo, Goma, Wolfos, Doppleganger, Octorok, Moblin, and all their kin, among many others, amassed in the southern plains of Hyrule. An army nigh indestructible had been birthed. Not a single villager worried. The beloved king didn't even flinch at this fact. Every soul upon this plain that stood against the powers that were Ganon, merely smirked. This confidence the Hyrulians boasted so openly was a belief, that regardless how dark this hour looked, the Hero of Time would soon be there, would soon lay waste to the armies of Ganondorf. But this was not so. There would be no hero. This fact, the Sages of Time disputed with the king. Trying desperately to get him to realize that the evils of the present are the problems of the present. The new evil decimating the land wasn't born of mistakes caused in the past. Nevertheless, the Sages were frowned upon for their negativity. So, they set out themselves towards the battlefield of Hyrule. Sage Rauru, Sage Saria, Sage Darunia, Sage Ruto, Sage Impa, and Sage Nabooru. Horseback and clad for the greatest battle they would ever face.

Nearly a week later, there was no word from the six great sages. At last the king had begun to worry. Each day looked darker and darker. Clouds of deep black had perverted the once lush blue skies of Hyrule. Regardless her knowledge and wisdom, even Princess Zelda was over-confident. But this confidence melted away amidst the darkness of the world now. She could feel it, the absence of power. No longer could she feel the warmth of the sages lives. This is where...our story begins. With the beholder of the tri-force of wisdom...

"Drums have begun sounding throughout the town, mi'lady! Your father the king, request I take you to shelter immediately!" The guard shouted desperately to catch the attentions of Princess Zelda, however his words fell upon deaf ears. Eyes of the purest azure stared over the masses of demonic and dark beings below. Atop the castle walls, one could truly see the splendor of Ganon's army. With sluggish reactions, her eyes shift to the fretting guard.

"Is there any necessity to tell me that drums have begun to sound, when I can clearly see the death of us all, right in front of me...!" her voice was shaking, full of horror. Amidst the drums, the shrieks and cackles of the ReDead could be heard. Unlike most screams, the potency of the ReDead scream was baffling, nearly causing the greatest of warriors to piss upon themselves. Immobilizing was a soft way to put things, it was the lesser of the screams power. The guard whom was sent to serve Zelda had been reduced to nothing shy of what the ReDead could truly do. Down on the ground he balled up, hugging his knee's to his chest. The insanity he lamented was barely audible. A truly disgusting sight to the beautiful princess, nonetheless. Yielding the sights before her once more, she glanced about the battlefield, frantically searching. Softly gritting her teeth, she swiftly crawled atop the wall before her. Nearly losing her footing, she caught her balance via dropping to a knee. A strong breeze had been blowing about lately, due the intense storm clouds above them. With a deafening loud roar of thunder as her host, the princess addressed the army below her, with swift determination.

"The sages! Tell me now where they have gone you vile bastardly beast!" her soft pink lips dared to snarl in contest with her words. Anger coursed her veins, her entirety. These sages she spoke of were as family to her. They were all that kept her in watch of the missing...Link. Only she knew how to speak to him, but to bring him to this land once more, was impossible. So said the words of the sages. Much to her surprise, she received a response, from one of the shadowy figures of a Doppleganger. "Your beloved sages are now the puppets of Ganon and his might..." another Doppleganger interjected "...general's of our divine cause, of our war."

"You speak lies! Such words cannot..." slowly, her brows contorted, wriggled as she fought off the overwhelming urge to cry. Biting over her bottom lip, her teeth slowly dragging across, before she finished in a hush whisper: "...such words cannot be true."

It was raining, harder than it had ever, upon this land. Lightning blazed about the skies, prowling swiftly about the clouds of darkness. The thunder, nearly continuous, silenced out the sounds of metal meeting metal, of screams and cries echoing throughout the town, of hisses and snarls, snapping of teeth, explosions of great destruction. Water rushed over the cobblestone walkways, mixed with the crimson blood of fallen Hyrulians and martyrs of Ganon. But these were small details unnoticed by all, as the war was still fully waging. Princess Zelda had been locked away in last stronghold of the palace, the Temple of Time. The guards had a time even getting her to this safe ground, as with the heavy rain, demonic raiders of Ganondorf were difficult to see. It was perceived as "lethal" to attempt to get her to the palace. From the confides of the temple, she was left to worry about her father, the king, whom was certainly having difficulty maintaining his hold on the castle. To pass time, she had begun to and speak with Link, by the avatar to the Spirit Stones, but the darkness swarming around had severed the link. The fall of the sages was going to trigger the fall of the world. Occasionally, every bodies attention would turn to the heavily barred doors as beast attempted to barge in, however, were met with failure. As a house of light, the temple would not be easily taken by dark forces. This fact was kept even more relevant as chanters had been brought within the temple, chanting their ancient Hyrulian tongues. Through the windows, flickered the lashing flames of a blazing town. Hyrule Castle had been claimed in the name of Ganondorf.

It had been days, and still they were locked within the temple, and slowly but surely the vile forces had been consuming the temple, and at last, the door was destroyed. In flooded the armored warriors of the Gerudo stronghold, the Spirit Temple. Blood tarnished their once shiny armor. Their swords however, were less shy in showing bloodlust, as dry blood dulled them, only slightly. Glancing about chaos, Zelda tried valiantly to gather herself and war an offensive. Mustering her magical strengths, she warded off a few of her attackers with simple spells requiring only the basic of chants. Backing away she found herself, back pressed against the unopenable door way to the Pedestal of Time, which kept the Master Sword. It had finally occurred to her, maybe she could wield the blade of evils bane. She began beating at the door, harder and harder she pummeled at its stone. Sensing that this was definitely not going to unhinge it, she summoned upon the door her strongest of magical impalements. Nothing seemed to work and her protectors, both the enchanters and guards were becoming lesser and lesser to the forces of Ganon. Peering over her shoulder she watched in horror as a ReDead crushed open a mans skull and feasted the brains from the mans head, blood splashing everywhere. Desperation turned to tears, wisdom turned to whim, and her fist bloodied the soft silken gloves she wore, as she beat at the door. Each bruised and bloodied hand dropped, as her hopes did. Slowly, turning about to face the death before her, she slid down the forever door, sobbing softly beneath her breath.

"Now is not your time...Princess..."

It was there, faintly, but it was there. A voice whispering from behind the sealed passage. Her eyes sprung open in surprise, she knew his voice all too well. It was like some fairy tale, when death was at her doorstep, her knight would surely come. The doorway shook, dust flying from every stone that built it. The door would not open, so the savior behind it would have to open it himself. Backing away from the door, the joy had made the Princess quite absent minded to all around her other than what was going on behind that door way. However, there was a painful reminder, which sliced against her back. Once more the horror was present as she fell to the ground. A Stalfos knight, eyes ablaze with madness grinned at her, cackling. The cackle sent an icy chill down her spine, deafening the pain for a moment, replacing it with fear. Raising its scab encrusted blade skyward, it readied to plunge the blade deep into her. Though that was halted by something she couldn't quite place at first. A large object had slammed into the Stalfos head, shattering its skull and sending its body lifelessly to the ground. It was a large stone block from the now destroyed door way to the Pedestal of Time. And in this gapping hole he stood. But, he was different somehow. The determination was in his face and in his eyes. But they were no longer passive and peaceful blue. Instead, they were the color of blood, the blood the washed the walls of the temple. The garb of the Kokiri was still there, but no longer a lovely green, instead a black, reminiscent of the darkness of the sky. All this caught the Princess complete off-guard. Had she not known him, she would have claimed him a puppet of Ganon. But in his left hand he wielded the blade, the Master Sword. None of black-heart could wield this righteous weapon.

"Link! But...but how!" Startled, happy, surprised, frightened, and confused were just a few of Zelda's emotions at the moment.

"No time to explain now, Princess. I have a kingdom to save..."

The task was not performed by one man. Not even the Hero of Time could take on this legion of darkness. However, the warriors of Hyrule were more than glad to fall under the command of young Link. Everyone knew of his legends, of the epic of Link. The last remains of Hyrule's defensive forces had hidden themselves in location that could not be sensed nor entered by those of dark hearts, by those who sought death and destruction. Within the Great Fairy Fountain had the knights made their stronghold. Surviving off the more than willing to serve them, Great Fairy of Hyrule legend. Lifting the stone structure out of the way of the canyon, the hero gathered Hyrule's forces, stormed the castle, and was certain to reclaim it without difficulty. The difficulty that approached was one which they hadn't the faintest dream of. Perverted by the evils of Ganon's men, the fallen King of Hyrule was nothing but a twisted, demented, devilish advocate to this new evil. Castle Hyrule would not be taken back so easily...

"Surrender now, or meet the fate of your fallen Lord, shadowkind." stated the hero, with faint menace and agitation.

"Fallen Lord...? Ganondorf is far from fallen. The sages succeeded in sealing away the physical form of our Lord...but his power is still quite real. Our General's, your fallen Sages, will return to his essence that of his fallen body soon enough. A battle you seek this day between someone of my kind and yourself, but I am only a messenger, Child of the Blade. Only a messenger..." Amidst his final words, blood began to ooze from his ears, eyes, nose, mouth and lower extremities...forming a pool beneath the fallen kings form. Such a sight was meant not for the eyes of the Princess, however she had heard of the palace being retaken and decided to greet her father. For some reason or another, it hadn't permeated her head that maybe he was slain. What she saw was the opposite of what she expected. Only seeing her fathers hollow remains drown into a puddle of his own blood till nothing stood. Each leg gave out till she fell, right into the arms of Link. Slowly her head rested back, staring at his oddly gorgeous face, feeling suddenly safe...safe enough to pass out.

This, some have said, was the beginning of the end for the land of Hyrule. How the Hero of Time returned, not a soul knows. Though some rumor that the desperation of the princess caused his rebirth. Others feel the cry of the land, and there are those who even believe, with his new look considered, that he was born from the darkness itself. Regardless his returns reason or cause, the evil was rerouted that day, and for that much everyone was happy. But for how long would the rest of the army stay hidden and quiet, wondered the denizens that remained. When the hero had returned, those that remained in the village, retreated back to the darkness which they came. Most of the evils which destroyed the castle town escaped their judgement that day. Disappeared from the veil of vision, but not from mind. Now all that remained of the Hyrulian forces were charged with unifying and retorting against this new evil threat. One victorious battle in the grand war would reward nothing. It would not bring the dead sages back, or return this world to its peaceful days. For in this victory, was only the beginning of Hyrule's truest hell. Many months passed and under the rule of the Princess Zelda and her knight, Link, a new order was established, which sent Link out of the castle and into the world, to unite, to resolve, and study the state of this evil. The Hero of Time...once more the guard dog of the people.

Nightfall had come all too soon over Kakariko Village, or rather, its remnants. Though the middle of the night one would swear it were the brightest dawn. Flames danced about the town, encompassing each building, each house...every inch of the town it could dare lay upon. The flames reflected with a vivid beauty upon crimson eyes, swimming in confusion, lost in self doubt. But still, among this great negativity, there is a brilliant certainty. Behind the subtle smirk upon his face lies the skill of legends, nigh perpetual in glory.

Slowly, one foot in front of the other, he passes through the wooden archway, the entrance of the village. Once, soft white letters painted into the carved wood spelled out "Kakariko". However, over these tender white letters, spattered in blood, was one name.

"G A N O N."

"...may your ashes unite you into one with Goddess Din, unto the soils of ancient Hyrule..."

Slowly the words pass from his lips, down upon a knee, blade buried into the rich soil, chin atop the beautiful hilt. Each eye opened, filled with the view of a hundred slain townsfolk all one atop the other in a flaming mound. Delicately he had taken the time to gather the bodies and place them in this bonfire. A way to pay their deaths respects, a way to cleanse this village of the sin which was committed.

Rising to his feet, he reached aback, sheathing the Master Sword. A deep inhalation, the smell of burning flesh carrying upon the wind. The very stench of evil irradiating from every inch of the fallen town. Why had Ganon, the king of thieves, lowered himself to commit such a hopeless act against the ancient town of the Sheikah? It was a constant thought on his mind...but it wasn't without interruption. Sprinting fast, hurdling over barely stable fencing and debris from the surrounding buildings, making his way with great swiftness towards the cemetery, and ruffling as though in slow motion his tunic, black as death and smeared with blood of the fallen, fell still. A urge to step back slowly overwhelmed him. This thing...

"...it cannot be..." Link spat out...half in disbelief, half in horror.

Not only was there some creature, some horribly vile creature back in the cemetery, it was the ancient shadow nemesis, Nosferatu Zerran. Dangling from the creatures mouth was a corpse; sparsely covered in mold, maggots, flesh, and cloth which he swiftly drew into his mouth as though it were a recoiling appendage. This being was by no means small, standing some eighteen feet tall. Each eye appeared gouged out, replaced by a dark purple aura. This aura blazed about most of his entire form as though a crackling flame. From the waist down was nothing, the only means he used to hold himself up were his large arms, much longer than they should have been. Holding himself off the ground, his tattered spine drug across the ground. How he had retrieved the once buried bodies was very apparent as dirt clung to his mouth. Zerran had used his mouth as a shovel to scoop the decaying corpses into his mouth. Also a small note, upon his back hung a cloak, also horribly tattered and dusty, covered in mold with the insignia of the Tri-Force upon it. Zerran was once a messenger of Hyrule Castle, carrying out diplomacy between the ever tense relations of the Gerudo and Hyrulians. His death was explained as having been slain by those who sought no peace between the two, but by no faction in particular. Everyone who was anyone knew it was Ganondorf's intricate planning that led to his death. Apparently, Ganon had summoned his tortured soul, his tattered corpse, to carry out a bit of his bidding now.

"Well, well...Nosferatu Zerran! I find you the only wretched ReDead bastard within the area...so I am to believe you are the murderer of this village. Ready yourself for swift punishment, in the divine name of the Goddess'!" Though his voice carried every bit of potency that was necessary, Zerran cared very little to pay this nuisance his swift and undivided attention. Only after he had finished dining upon his newest corpse did he decide it to be time. Dragging his rotting phalanges over the soil, he turned himself about to face Link, who now stood, sword readied in left hand, shield held steadily in right.

"Threaten my power...with your shimmering evil destroying toothpick? Humorous indeed, decrepit whore of Hyrule legend..."

As Zerran shouted this, he began inhaling...tombstones tore from their hundred year places as though just planted. With heels dug deep, teeth gritted, and eyes winced, Link managed to stand his ground. However, one thing seemed more drawn to this vortex than anything. The Master Sword. Then it stopped. Each cheek puffed out a gargantuan amount, then there was sudden release. A blazing deep purple beam of sorts spewed from Zerran's mouth, much to Link's great surprise. Instantly it over-whelmed him, causing him to lift from the ground and be taken back as though knocked off his feet Everything around him seemed to be in slow motion, everything but the pain of being torn apart that he had to fight off. The transition between slow time and regular time happened within the blink of an eye. Finding himself being hurled through the air, his grip ceasing to exist upon the hilt of his blade, flinging past him. A moment after noticing his missing blade, his small flight was brought to an end, his back slammed firmly against a stonewall, which gave way a bit more than it should, causing him to tumble within a very well defined hole.

" Zerran...this is impossible. This damn fight is impossible..."

Such words had not been muttered by him before...nothing had ever seemed "impossible". To kill something that was already dead, just hadn't added up. Each time he had slain the dead, it was thanks to his blade...the blade of evils bane. Once more the currents had changed...he could tell Zerran was inhaling once more. This time he was able to see its destructive power, compared to being hurled straight into town by it. His attack was against the tall and mighty windmill, which also was in flames. However, it now rained down upon the charred village. In the wake of its destruction, dust settled and there he stood. Only now had he seen it...

"...the well..." Link thought to himself.

The well was sealed, he could sense an ancient magical barrier over it. Had Nosferatu Zerran been awoken via the darkness which resided beneath the wells depths? Surely he had found an answer. Now, how to go about breaking such a strong magical seal...that was an entirely different problem. This wasn't the time to batter himself with mind games. Standing to his feet, with little heed to his pain, he readied his shield to fend off any assault. In his other hand a bright fiery light shown, basking in flames it shook violently. Trickling down his temple and hanging on the edge of his gritted teeth smirk, a tiny bead of sweat dropped upon his hand. Instantly it vaporized in the intense heat of this fire spell.

"Burn in hell!" with this shouted, Link reared back his arm and swiftly thrust it out towards the damnable beast, palm spread wide as a blazing red ball of fire hurled towards Zerran.

However, this was ill met as well. With a tender gasping breath, the fireball was consumed. This hadn't been calculated into Link's plan. How could he swallow fire? Shaking his head, he paid no attention to beast next action, darting towards the hillside. Zerran, shook as though a earthquake were within him before a straight line of fire erupted from his mouth, tailing after Link. As though the town were not hell enough, it once more burned, giving it a netherworld feel...as though they were fighting in the very bowels of hell itself. Each bit of the village that was even feet away from the flames instantly ignited. It seemed to Link that this beast fiery attack had no end. Seeking refuge behind a slightly stable stone wall, he gasped sharp short breaths...trying desperately to catch up, the intense heat knocking the breath out of him. Kakariko Village was a massive inferno. A fire-storm of destruction, the very candle of death itself.

"The seal must be broken...I need her power. There is no other way..."

As he dashed from the wall, sprinting fast as he could towards the town entrance, he could feel the flames eating at his very heels. There was very little for him to do, but to end the beast tyrannical assault was a deep wish. Placing his shield upon his back, he lowered into a roll, falling onto his shoulder. Within hand was his bow, a single arrow prepared. Conjuring up a deep freeze effect upon the arrow tip, he blindly let the arrow release. Like lightning it tore up the fiery trail, but inches for the twisted flames, riding the path straight to Zerran. Stabbing into the beast, the flames disappeared and Nosferatu Zerran was frozen solid. Now was his chance to fall into the shadows of the night, make his escape to Hyrule Castle, and get Zelda's mage like assistance. Without a moments hesitation, he did just this, shooting one last look at the inferno behind him, a deep burning pain within his heart.

This freeze was not to last long, such a feeble assault on such a mighty power. Erupting from his icy coffin, Zerran gazed over the burning village, grunting in disgust.

"You have escaped for the moment, child!" he shouted... "...but your peace is over, all of Hyrule will bask in these very flames of renewal, it will be washed in lakes of crimson, host to the damned and Ganon shall be its father..."

Mouth opened wide, the blazing purple aura disappeared from his eyes, symbolizing that they are closed. Flying from a pile of debris, the Master Sword flung within his mouth. Closing his mouth slowly a smirk spread across his rotting face, satisfied immensely. The weapon of the hero had found a new resting place...


End file.
